Everyone gets nervous about something in their life—first day of school, meeting a new friend, or starting a new job. It is very easy to fear of the unknown, especially when you aren’t sure what your new adventure may hold. This summer, I had the opportunity to intern for Indium Corporation. Knowing that I was about to step into one of my first professional experiences, especially in the field of engineering, I was incredibly nervous.
尽管刚开始时有些紧张，但我很快就和其他实习生以及我的团队混熟了，同时也摸索出了自己的方法来驾驭这段经历。在第一天的入职培训中，所有实习生都被反复告知，我们不需要一直清楚地知道发生了什么。但是，正如往年的所有实习生都同意的那样，最重要的是提出问题，以便从这段经历中获得尽可能多的东西。好奇心是一种强大的特质。为了最大限度地发挥我们的能力，在暑期结束时带着比开始时更多的知识离开实习岗位，我们必须保持好奇心并不断提问。
Here are some of my other experiences and observations at Indium Corporation:
- 每个人看到我们在这里都很兴奋。我回答说："是的，我是新来的技术支持工程实习生！"没有一天不有人说："嘿，你看起来像个新面孔，你是实习生吗？我的回答是："是的，我是新来的技术支持工程实习生！"通常情况下，我都会得到如下回应："那太好了！我们很高兴你能来这里工作，这是一家非常棒的公司。我是新人，而且只工作了很短一段时间，得知大家都很高兴有我在这里工作，我感到非常欣慰。
- Other interns were there with me through every step along the way. Indium Corporation does an excellent job at creating an interactive and engaging internship experience. They brought in an entire class of strangers, and by the end of the summer, we had already become friends and a big part in each other’s memories.
- 该实习计划非常注重实际的行业工作，为实习生提供宝贵的专业经验。实习的一个重要部分是让我们开展个人项目，并向主管和高层领导汇报我们的发现和成就。在朝九晚五的工作之外，我们还可以参加研讨会、讲习班和社区服务项目。
尽管总部是我暑期的大本营，但我的项目也允许我在不同的设施间旅行，这是一个很好的机会，让我认识了更多的同事，体验了不同的工作环境，并从不同的角度见证了公司运营的来龙去脉。能够与不同的群体合作对我来说非常有价值，让我变得更加灵活和适应性更强--我认为这是一项可以随身携带的强大技能。
At the beginning of my internship, I had very little knowledge of the vast market for solder applications. Due to the variety of clientele that Indium Corporation has, the Technical Support team assists with trouble shooting customers concerns while recommending and providing guide for our customers to choose the products that best suit their needs. To better serve our customers, we must understand our products well—which makes projects like mine very important.
As the Technical Support Engineering intern, my responsibilities focused on a Design of Experiment to characterize the extent of material fatigue that results from a repetition of thermal shock. This project helps evaluate the durability of certain solder paste samples targeted specifically for more aggressive applications, such as automotive PCB assembly. To better understand the durability of our products, I exposed samples to L-to-L thermal shock chamber to aggressively stress these materials in an accelerated fashion. Upon completion, I compare the degree of fatigue for the various materials and extensive process settings. Contrasting the results, the better material and process settings will help solidify which has the best performance.
After the L-to-L thermal shock test is complete, characterizing the fatigue employed a dye-and-pry method. The fatigue from thermal shock resulted in fractures within the solder connections, and applying the dye under vacuum drew the dye to the cracks within the solder material. Mechanically shearing the components from the circuit board, I collected the various degrees of dye penetration in the interconnects that resulted from the thermal shock for all samples and joints. Completing this analysis would provide a quantitative account and measure of failures. Based on the results and how high of a percentage of fracturing there was, I could determine the reliability of each of our paste samples. To properly meet a client’s standards and expectations, it is important that we conduct these kinds of experiments to gain a better understanding of our products.
Through this internship, I have experienced what the “Indium Way” truly means, starting with continuous support and commitment to changing the world through materials science. I have experienced the focus on respect, appreciation, and achievement first-hand. It begins with friendly people I have met in the workplace and continued to shine through the meaningful experience and interactions I have had with the other interns and the work that I contributed to.
